Most people don’t give much thought to spare change. A few coins get tossed into a cup holder, left in a jacket pocket, or forgotten in a kitchen drawer. Since each coin is worth so little, it’s easy to assume it isn’t worth bothering with. But small amounts can add up.

A dollar here, a few coins there, or the extra change from a purchase may seem insignificant at the time. Keep doing it, though, and you can eventually have enough to put toward an emergency fund, an upcoming expense, debt, or something you’ve been saving for.

The same idea works beyond physical coins. Small automatic transfers, cash-back rewards, and round-up programs can help you save money without requiring a huge change to your routine.

Here are some simple ways to turn those little amounts into actual savings.

Turn Loose Change Into Cash

If you have a jar or container full of coins, a Coinstar machine can turn that pile into cash without requiring you to count and roll everything yourself. There is a fee for using the cash option, so check the current terms before deciding. Some kiosks also offer gift card options that can let you avoid the cash-processing fee, depending on the participating brand.

Coinstar also offers cryptocurrency purchases at some locations, but crypto comes with its own risks and fees. If your main goal is saving money, turning your coins into cash or a gift card may make more sense than buying an investment you don’t fully understand. Either way, that forgotten jar of change can become money you can actually use.

Start a Digital Spare Change Jar

You don’t need a physical coin jar to save small amounts. Some financial apps let you set up automatic transfers based on rules you choose. For example, you might have a small amount moved to savings every time you make a purchase or receive money in your bank account.

This can be useful if you have trouble remembering to transfer money manually. The amounts can be small enough that you barely notice them, but seeing the balance grow can make saving feel more manageable. Just check the app’s fees and account requirements before signing up.

Try Round-Up Savings

Round-up programs work on a simple idea. Your purchase gets rounded up to the next dollar, and the difference goes toward savings or investments. So if you spend $4.75, the transaction may be rounded up to $5, with the extra 25 cents going into the account.

Do that over dozens of purchases and those little amounts can start to add up. Apps and financial institutions offer different versions of round-up savings, so check where the money goes and whether there are fees. You also don’t need an app to do this. You can copy the idea yourself by checking your spending once a week and moving a small amount into savings.

Invest Small Amounts

Small amounts can also go toward investing if you’re ready for the risks that come with it. Some investment platforms allow fractional shares, which means you don’t have to buy an entire share of an expensive stock. You might be able to invest a few dollars at a time instead.

That said, investing isn’t the same as putting money in a savings account. Investments can lose value, and there’s no guarantee that your money will grow. If you’re new to investing, make sure you know what you’re buying and understand the fees before putting your spare change into the market.

Put Small Amounts Into a High-Yield Savings Account

If your goal is to build cash savings, a high-yield savings account may give your money a better place to sit than a standard checking account. You can send small amounts into the account whenever you have extra money. You could also set up automatic transfers for a fixed amount each week or month.

The interest rate will vary by bank and can change over time, so compare current rates and account terms before opening an account.

Even small deposits can become more noticeable once you make them regularly. The bigger win is building the habit of putting money aside instead of spending every dollar that comes in.

Make Saving Into a Game

Saving can feel pretty boring, especially if you’re working toward a goal that’s months or years away. Some apps have tried to make it more entertaining by adding games, challenges, or rewards to the saving process. Long Game, for example, has used games and prizes to encourage people to save.

If a little competition or a reward gives you a reason to keep saving, it can be worth trying. Just check the current fees, rules, and account terms before signing up for any financial app.

Try a Cash-Only Challenge

Want to see how much money you can save without relying on your debit or credit card? Try a cash-only challenge for a month. Take out a set amount for your everyday spending and use physical cash for things like groceries, coffee, meals, and entertainment. Whatever is left at the end can go into your savings account.

There’s also something about physically handing over cash that can make spending feel more real. You may think twice before making a purchase when you can actually see the bills leaving your wallet.

Turn Spare Change Into a Fun Money Fund

Saving doesn’t always have to be about emergencies or bills. You could use your spare change to create a small fund for things you enjoy. Maybe you want to save for a dinner out, concert tickets, a weekend activity, or your favorite coffee shop.

Having a separate fund for these purchases can make them easier to fit into your budget. Instead of putting a $6 coffee on your credit card and thinking about it later, you can use money you’ve already set aside for treats. It’s a small way to enjoy yourself without dipping into money meant for bills or savings goals.

Put Small Amounts Toward Debt

If you have credit card or loan debt, extra money can go toward your balance instead. You don’t need to make a huge extra payment every time. A few dollars from your coin jar or an extra $10 at the end of the week can still reduce what you owe.

Paying down high-interest credit card debt can also reduce the amount of interest you pay over time. Before using an app that makes automatic debt payments, check its fees and how the payments work. You can also make small extra payments yourself without paying for another service.

Build an Emergency Fund

A pile of spare change probably won’t build an emergency fund overnight. That’s okay. The goal is to keep adding to it. Start with a small target, such as $500 or $1,000. Once you reach that amount, you can keep going until you have several months of essential expenses saved.

Your emergency fund can help cover things like car repairs, unexpected medical bills, home repairs, or a period without income. The amount you save matters, but so does getting into the habit of keeping money available for things you didn’t plan for.

Turn Rewards Into Savings

Cash-back programs can give you another source of small savings. Some credit cards, shopping programs, and apps give you cash back or rewards for purchases you were already planning to make. Instead of spending those rewards, send them straight to your savings account.

You can do the same with store rewards and gift-card balances. Just don’t spend extra money to earn rewards. A cash-back offer isn’t really saving you money if it encourages you to buy things you wouldn’t have purchased otherwise.

Join a Cash-Back Challenge

You can also make cash back part of a monthly savings challenge. Apps such as Rakuten and Ibotta offer cash-back opportunities at participating stores and retailers. Before shopping, check whether the store or item qualifies.

Then send whatever cash back you earn into your savings instead of treating it like spending money. For example, if you earn $12 in cash back during the month, move that $12 into your savings account. It may seem small, but repeating the process month after month can give your savings a steady boost.

Roll Your Coins Yourself

If you have a lot of coins and don’t want to pay a Coinstar processing fee, you can always roll them yourself. According to Bankrate, some banks accept rolled coins, although policies vary by bank and location.

Coin wrappers are inexpensive, and you can sort and roll your change at home while watching TV or listening to a podcast. It takes more time than dumping everything into a machine, but you get to keep more of the money.

Turn Unused Gift Cards Into Cash

An unused gift card is easy to forget about, especially if it’s for a store you rarely visit. Rather than letting it sit in a drawer, you may be able to sell it through a gift-card resale site. Services such as CardCash have offered ways for people to sell unwanted gift cards for less than the card’s full value. You won’t always get the entire balance back, but getting some cash is better than letting the card sit unused forever.

There are also plenty of gift-card scams, so check the site’s terms and reputation before handing over any card information. With billions of dollars in gift cards going unused each year, MarketWatch has reported on how much money can get left sitting on these cards.

Donate Your Spare Coins

Saving every penny isn’t the only thing you can do with spare change. If you have a jar full of coins and don’t need the money for yourself, donating some or all of it can help a charity you care about. You can drop coins into donation containers, give them during certain checkout transactions, or donate through a charity’s own website or app.

A few coins may feel insignificant to you, but many small donations can add up for a charitable organization.

Small Amounts Still Count

You don’t have to completely change your lifestyle to save more money. Sometimes it starts with the coins you’ve been ignoring, a few dollars transferred to savings each week, or cash-back rewards you would have spent anyway.

The amount matters less than making a habit of keeping some money for yourself. Once those small deposits become routine, you may find it much easier to save for bigger goals too.